CT/MRI

ASTROCYTOMA

**What is Astrocytoma?**
Astrocytomas are a type of Glioma which arises from Glial cells found in the brain that make up half of the Central Nervous System. We would refer to these cells as “supporting cells.” So as you can tell these cells play a big role in our brains function, which is why these types of tumors can be deadly. There are two main types of astrocytomas; low grade and high grade. Some of the more common low-grade astrocytomas are:

Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma (JPA)
Fibrillary Astrocytoma
Pleomorphic Xantroastrocytoma (PXA)
Desembryoplastic Neuroepithelial Tumor (DNET)

The two most common high-grade astrocytomas are:
Anaplastic Astrocytoma (AA)
Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)

Low grade are usually found in a specific area and do not grow that fast, but high grade tend to grow very rapidly and require a great amount of treatment. These tumors occur anywhere in the brain and spinal cord. Most often you will find them in the cerebellum, the right or left cerebral hemisphere, the thalamus, or the hypothalamus.

**Symptoms**
These tumors have a tendency to grow rapidly, so the faster it grows the more pressure that is going to be felt in the skull by the patient. This can lead to nausea, vomiting, and depending where it is located a possible change in mental status. Some other symptoms that may be visible are mood swings and a change in sleep patterns. Symptoms that occur tend to localize where the tumor is located in the brain. Some other frequently seen symptoms are unsteadiness, weakness, vision impairment, and the possibility of seizures. Each patient will experience different symptoms depending on where the tumor is located.

**Treatments** The options for treatment naturally depend on the type of astrocytoma, where it is located, what stage it is at, etc. before any action can be taken. One of the first choices of treatment for a low grade astrocytoma is surgical removal of the tumor. Majority of patients will have normal functioning ability for a couple years after surgery, but do risk the possibility of the tumor coming back. In the case of a high grade astrocytoma there are not many choices to pick from to treat the tumor. Many times patients will begin to just focus on palliative care when the tumor has reached this stage. Another option patients have to treat the tumor is radiation therapy. This can sometimes benefit patients in reducing the size of the tumor. Majority of the time when it comes to high grade tumors there is no treatment that will save the patients life. Treatments for these types of tumors are still in the works, but surgeons are doing their best to discover these tumors at low grades so that something can be done and a life can be saved.